Väyrynen covers only halfway to eligibility

Member of European Parliament Paavo Väyrynen is only half way to gaining the minimum 20,000 ‘support cards’ to be eligible to contest in the forthcoming presidential election, reported the local media.

Väyrynen in a statement said he has received about 10,000 support cards. With the deadline for submission of candidature applications on December 12, the chair of the newly formed Kansalaispuolue (Citizen’s Party) thinks the one-month time he has in his hands is not enough to get the rest of the support cards he needs to gain the eligibility.

The MEP received more than half a million votes in the 2012 president election with the ticket of Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party).

This time, Matti Vanhanen is the presidential candidate of the Suomen Keskusta, Tuula Haatainen of the opposition Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP), Pekka Haavisto of the Vihreä Liitö (Green League), Merja Kyllönen of the Vasemmistoliitto (Left Alliance), Nils Torvalds of the Suomenruotsalainenkansanpuolue (Swedish People’s Party of Finland-RKP), and Laura Huhtasaari of the Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party).

The Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit (Christian Democrats of Finland) is backing incumbent President Sauli Niinistö’s independent candidacy. Niinistö had already received 156,000 signatures till the end of September from his supporters, although only 20,000 signatures are needed.